Campaign Life Coalition

The Campaign Life Coalition (often called Campaign Life) is a Canadian conservative Christian group that opposes abortion.[1] It is based in Toronto, Ontario.[2] The organization has existed since the late 1970s, and it has long been active in political campaigns.

Campaign Life has supported politicians from different political parties, including Liberals such as Tom Wappel[3] and Paul Szabo[4] and Conservatives such as Maurice Vellacott[5] and Stockwell Day.

At the provincial level in Ontario, Campaign Life initially supported the Family Coalition Party (FCP).[6] Following the FCP's name change to the New Reform Party of Ontario and the election of Patrick Brown as the new leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario in 2015, the CLC seemingly switched support to the Ontario PCs. The CLC endorsed Brown's bid for the leadership, along with other social conservative leadership candidate Monte McNaughton,[7] and released a statement congratulating Brown on his victory.[8][9]

In addition to opposing abortion, Campaign Life was a vocal campaigner against same-sex marriage in 2004-05.[10] In 2005, the coalition criticised the Conservative Party of Canada for nominating same-sex marriage supporters John Baird and Peter Kent to run as candidates.[11] It expressed support for John Pacheco's "independent conservative" candidacy against Baird in Ottawa West—Nepean, and for Greg Watrich's independent candidacy against sitting Tory MP James Moore (Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam), a supporter of Bill C-38.[12]

One of its projects is LifeSiteNews, a news website dedicated to issues of culture, life, and family that was created in 1997.[13] LifeSiteNews has been characterized as an "online anti-abortion journal" by the National Post and a "pro-Life website" by the Vancouver Sun.[14][15] It is linked to a French-language website, Campagne Quebec-Vie. A Catholic priest, Raymond Gravel (died 2014), filed a lawsuit against the websites in 2010 claiming that they had engaged in a campaign against him.[16]

References

  1. ↑ Leong, Melissa (5 Apr 2005). "Muslim, Christian groups oppose gay marriage". National Post. p. 5.
  2. ↑ O'Neil, Peter (27 June 2005). "Fight not over: same-sex foes: Liberals have disturbed a 'sleeping giant'". National Post.
  3. ↑ Kennedy, Mark (24 Sep 1988). "Off and running: Anti-abortion groups flexing political muscles". The Ottawa Citizen. p. 1.
  4. ↑ Gordon, Sean (10 June 2004). "Senior Liberals deny hypocrisy on social issues". The Ottawa Citizen. p. 1.
  5. ↑ Smyth, Julie (11 May 2007). "MPs use rally to press for abortion law; Campaign Life Coalition". National Post. p. 7.
  6. ↑ Baer, Nicole (7 May 1988). "Tory courting in Carleton-Gloucester". The Ottawa Citizen. p. 6.
  7. ↑ "Ontario PC Leadership Endorsement by CLC". Campaign Life Coalition. January 29, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Patrick Brown wins Ontario PC leadership", Toronto Star, May 09 2015.
  9. ↑ "Ontario PCs pick a pro-lifer to lead their rebirth", Toronto Star, May 09 2015.
  10. ↑ Leong, Melissa (5 Apr 2005). "Muslim, Christian groups oppose gay marriage". National Post. p. 5.
  11. ↑ Campaign Life Coalition Newsletter Decries Favoring of New Pro-Abortion, Pro-Gay Candidates By Conservative Leadership
  12. ↑ True Conservatives Running as Independents against Anti-Family, Anti-Life ‘Conservative’ Candidates
  13. ↑ About LifeSiteNews.com
  14. ↑ Lewis, Charles (9 Aug 2011). "Activist against abortion back in jail; Illegal protester arrested more than 20 times". National Post ([Don Mills, Ont). p. 6.
  15. ↑ "Terminally ill Baby Joseph dies at home". The Vancouver Sun. 29 Sep 2011. p. 3.
  16. ↑ Hamilton, Graeme (5 Mar 2011). "Two solitudes; Lawsuit pits rebel Quebec priest against hardline pro-life news service". National Post. p. 6.

External links

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